Mercury - Roman Mythology - Ancinet-Mythology.com Mercury | Roman Mythology Mercury was the Roman messenger god. Mercury is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Hermes , and was not a signficant part of the Roman religion it was reconciled with the Greek myths. As the Romans expanded their territory, they began to interperet the mythology of other religions as being identical to their own. The popular gods Lugus , among the Celtic tribes, and Odin (or Wotan) among the Germanic peoples, were both identified as Mercury. Julius Caesar wrote that the German peoples, as well as the Celts of Britain and Gaul, most worship Mercury. The planet Mercury and the element mercury (Hg) are both named after the Roman god. History of Ancient Rome for Kids: Roman Gods and Mythology History >> Ancient Rome The Romans believed in lots of gods. There were gods for just about everything. The Romans even took on many of the gods of the people they conquered. They especially liked the Greek gods . Many Romans had a shrine in their house to worship their personal household god. Roman Gods The Romans adopted much of Greek Mythology into their own.

They took most all of the Greek gods, gave them Roman names, and then called them their own. Here are a few of major Roman gods that came from the Greeks: Jupiter - Came from the Greek god Zeus. Jupiter was the king of the gods and god of thunder and lighting. He was the Patron God of Rome. Juno - Juno was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera. Juno was Jupiter's wife and queen of the gods. Juno was considered the protector of Rome. Mars - Mars came from the Greek god Area. Mars was the god of war and Jupiter and Juno's son. Mercury - Mercury was the equivalent of the Greek god Hermes. He was the god of trade. Neptune - Neptune came from the Greek god Poseidon. He was the god of the sea and brother to Jupiter. He also was the patron of horses. Neptune's weapon was a great trident. Venus - Venus was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. She was the god of love and beauty. Apollo - Apollo was taken directly from Greek god Apollo. He was the god of music, poetry, and archery. His twin sister was Diana.

Diana - Diana was taken from the Greek goddess Artemis. She was goddess of the hunt, archery, and animals. Her symbols included the moon, the snake, and the bow and arrow. Minerva - Minerva comes from the Greek goddess Athena. She was the goddess of wisdom. Ceres - Ceres was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Demeter. She was goddess of agriculture and the seasons. It's from the name Ceres that we get the name for cereal. Vulcan - Vulcan comes from the Greek god Hephaestus. He was the blacksmith for the rest of the gods and was god of fire. The word volcano comes from the name Vulcan. Bacchus - Bacchus comes from the Greek god Dionysus. He was god of wine and the theatre. He was the youngest of the major gods and the only one born to a mortal. Romulus and Remus Early Roman mythology tells the story of how Rome was founded by two twin gods named Romulus and Remus. Romulus and Remus both wished to found a new city. Romulus wanted to found it on Palatine Hill, but Remus disagreed and wanted to found it on Aventine Hill.

They had a fight and Romulus killed Remus. Romulus then founded the city of Rome and created the Roman legion as well as the Senate. Imperial Cult The Imperial Cult worshiped the Emperors of Rome. Starting with Julius Caesar, who ended the Roman Republic and became dictator, the emperors of Rome were deified, or turned into god status. This was a way for the leaders of Rome to become even more powerful. Most of the emperors were made into gods except for certain bad ones like Nero and Tiberius. This practice lasted up until Emperor Constantine who converted to Christianity. Christianity Since the Romans had many gods and the Christians believed in just one true God, Christians were often persecuted by Rome. At one point they were told to either worship and sacrifice to the Roman gods or they would be killed. Many were killed in the arenas by lions. When Emperor Constantine came into power he converted to Christianity and the persecution stopped. Temples There were many temples in Rome and throughout the Roman Empire. They were generally built for a single god and had a statue of the god at the center. The most important temple in Ancient Rome was the Temple of Jupiter located on Capitoline Hill.

The Pantheon was a temple to all the Roman gods. There were also temples built to the Emperors such as Julius Caesar and Augustus. Festivals The Romans held festivals and holidays to celebrate their gods. They would often have games and a large feast to celebrate. Some important festivals that the Romans celebrated were Lupercalia, Saturnalia, and the Consualia. Take a ten question quiz about this page. For more about Ancient Rome: Overview and History Skyscript: Mercury In Myth & Occult Philosophy By David McCann By David McCann Ancient Mythology In ancient Babylon, the planet Mercury was associated with the god Nabu, the divine scribe and god of wisdom. This demolishes the idea, so often repeated, that the planet was called Mercury because it is fast moving and so corresponds to the divine messenger, Hermes or Mercury. Nabu can hardly have been thought of as fast moving: scribes generally spent their day sitting still! The name Shihtu was appropriate in this respect, as it meant 'the leaper', no doubt referring to the planet's sudden, brief appearances. Unfortunately, no myths involving Nabu have survived.

Since he must have pre-dated the invention of writing, his role as a god of wisdom must be older than that of scribe. Greek settlers in the East, after the conquests of Alexander, worshipped Nabu as Apollo, suggesting that he may also have been a god of poetry. The Egyptian equivalent to Nabu was Tehuti, a name rendered by the Greeks as Thoth. He was one of the major gods of Egypt and personified the principle of reason. He was the scribe of the gods in heaven; the inventor of all the arts and sciences practised on earth; and the recorder of the deeds of men, whose evidence decided their fate in the underworld. The Egyptians summed up his powers by describing him as the "heart and tongue of Ra". In other words, Thoth represents divine reason and will, and the commands by which it is carried out: "The Lord by Wisdom hath founded the Earth", as Solomon put it. Thoth had no connection with the planet Mercury until the Greeks introduced astrology to Egypt: the Egyptians regarded the planet as belonging to the god Set, while Thoth presided over the Moon.

As a result of Thoth's position as a patron of knowledge, writers in Ptolemaic and Roman times attributed various books to 'Hermes Trismegistus', as they called him. These dealt with philosophy and religion (e.g., the Corpus Hermeticus and the Asclepius), astrology (e.g., the Liber Hermetis), and magic (numerous texts which have not been published, much less translated). The philosophical books were read and admired not only by pagans, but also by Church Fathers such as Lactantius. They were highly regarded in the Renascence, when they were considered to have preserved the wisdom of the ancient Egyptians and to predate both the Greek philosophers and the Bible; that is why Marsilio Ficino was asked to translate Hermes before Plato. Later scholars dismissed them, claiming that they were written at the end of the Roman Empire and contained no more than a mixture of Greek and Christian ideas. Modern scholars have largely abandoned this extreme view, and the discovery of the Asclepius in Coptic (the late form of the Egyptian language) has shown that they are indeed a legacy of Egyptian culture.

The astrological hermetica cover the full range of the subject, but are particularly notable for their use of the decans (the equivalent in Egyptian astronomy to the Babylonian zodiac), and they may also be the source of much of the traditional teaching concerning the planetary parts. Astrological medicine, an Egyptian speciality, was also generally presented under the name of Hermes. In the Middle Ages, the Arabs passed off other works as hermetic. Many of these dealt with the lunar mansions, which the Arabs had obtained from India; no doubt these were felt to belong with the decans, both being equally exotic and associated with magic. The Greek may have translated Nabu and Tehuti as Hermes, but the original functions of Hermes seem to have heen rather different: fostering the fertility of cattle, aiding travellers, and guiding the soul after death. These roles also belonged to the Indian god Pusan, showing that the two are part of a common Indo-European heritage. Pusan means 'nourisher', so he was originally a fertility god. The connection with travelling may have come from an association with nomadic herdsmen, or from his patronage of the wedding procession; later he became associated with the last journey of all, into the next world.

Certainly he had little in common with the astrological Mercury. Outside the rustic backwater of Arcadia, the connection of Hermes with fertility was only maintained by the use of his name for a phallic symbol erected in fields and public places. Otherwise he resigned the care of cattle to his son Pan, who was really the same god: the name is related to Pusan. Hermes' role as the messenger of the gods came later (it is not found in the Iliad), as an extension of his connection with travelling. Having become a messenger, it was natural that he should then become an orator. It was at that stage that astrologers took him as an equivalent for Nabu, though the Greeks usually identified Nabu with Apollo. Greek mythology as we have it developed during the Greek Dark Ages, between the fall of the Minoan civilisation and the rise of classical Hellenism. As Toynbee observed, the Greek gods were thus made in the image of barbarian man - a primitive who has been drawn into an encounter with a decadent civilisation and adopted the worst customs of both worlds. In consequence, the Olympians are a superhuman but disreputable warband: no place for an intellectual!

The myths of Hermes seem to be of late origin. The most famous tells of his childhood. After his birth he astonished his mother by his precious and rapid growth - that phallic symbol again? His first achievement was to steal Apollo's cattle and lie about it. When his theft was finally exposed, he promptly invented the lyre and swapped it for the cattle, so creating both music and trade. To keep him on the straight and narrow for the future, he was appointed the messenger and herald of the gods. Apart from the interest in cattle, this is clearly the later image of Hermes. His antics are typical of trickster figures, like the American Coyote. This is not incompatible with his association with knowledge: the trickster is the other side of the sage; every shaman has to be something of a showman. At a deeper level, we may remember the stories of Adam and Faustus: the desire for knowledge can lead one to take a step too far. One might reasonably say that the god Hermes grew closer to the planet Mercury as time passed by.

This is only to be expected, since the educated and sceptical Greeks of the Hellenistic period - eager for every new idea, as St Paul observed - would have found the new science of astrology much more exciting than the old myths. Those who try to shed light on astrology by means of myths need to remember that it is astrology which is the clearer and the more reliable. This is particularly true when one deals with Greek myths, which have been transmitted by poets rather than priests. The Latin name Mercury may be derived from the Latin word merx (goods, wares), but he was largely an imitation of Hermes and played a minor role in Roman religion. In fact, a better equivalent to the astrological Mercury would be Minerva, whose name comes from mens (mind). Mercury, as transplanted to Rome, preserved nothing of the old associations with fertility, so the Romans could equate him to the Germanic Woden (the Norse Odin), the god of poetry and magic: that is why Wednesday (Old English Wódnesdæg) corresponds to the French Mercredi (Latin Mercurii dies).

Woden's attributes match those of the old Indian god Rudra, later known as Shiva: his association with magic, poetry, and warfare, even his wearing a hat and having an odd number of eyes - one for Woden, three for Rudra! Strangely enough, the Greek god who inherits most features of Rudra is Apollo, who was identified by his worshippers with Nabu: once again, the evolution of the pagan gods turns out to be complex and unexpected. Philosopher or Postman? If Hermes Trismegistus (or indeed Nabu) seems a more profound figure than the Mercury found in some modern astrological texts, this reflects a recent change. In Jeff Mayo's The Planets and Human Behaviour, Mercury is primarily associated with communication and adaptation to the environment; study and knowledge are assigned to Jupiter. William Lilly's 17th century text Christian Astrology presented a very different picture, connecting Mercury with learning, mysteries, and occult knowledge. In antiquity, Manilius, Valens, Antiochus, and Firmicus all associated Mercury with astrologers, philosophers, and writers.

The change has largely come about as a result of the tendency of modern astrologers to blur the distinctions between planets, signs, and houses: Mercury tends to become no more than a reflection of Gemini, and of the third house (which does not even belong to him). The astronomers seem to have preserved a more balanced view of Mercury: the craters on its surface are named after writers, artists, and musicians. But to some extent the Greeks may have over-emphasised this aspect of Mercury. Although they produced two of the profoundest philosophers who ever lived, Plato and Plotinus, the Greeks were often superficial in a very Geminian way, valuing knowledge and intelligence at the expense of understanding and wisdom; Mercury at the expense of Jupiter. According to the Picatrix, the great Arabic compendium of the occult sciences, successful students of magic generally have either Mercury or Jupiter as the strongest planet in their nativities. I do not have many charts of magicians to hand, but I notice that Mercury is the almuten of the charts of W.B.Yeats, Aleister Crowley, and A.O.Spare, while Israel Regardie had Jupiter.

Another illustration of Mercury's connection with learning is the way in which the ideas of philosophers reflect its sign position in their nativities. For example, Mercury appears in Taurus in the charts of Hume, Husserl, Mill, Russell, and Wittgenstein, all noted for their interest in seeking the foundations of knowledge. Wittgenstein's last book was called On Certainty: just what a Taurean wants. Cabbalism In the Jewish cabbala, Mercury is the eighth of the divine spheres: Glory, or Hôd in Hebrew. Its position at the base of the pillar of form indicates that in this sphere form is finally manifested as individual symbols, which makes Hôd the realm of the intellect. Just as Binah (associated with Saturn) at the top of the pillar imposes form at a cosmic level, so Hôd imposes form on human experience through the activity of the mind. This connection is reflected by the fact that Mercury and Saturn share the rule of the airy triplicity. Hôd also forms part of the lowest triad of spheres - the astral or personal - together with Netzach (Venus) and Yesôd (the Moon).

Netzach, at the base of the pillar of action, manifests the creative power of that pillar in emotion and instinct, balancing the intellect of Hôd. Yesôd is the field in which they both operate. The astral triad, particularly Hôd, is the realm of magic, which, like the words of Thoth, transforms the outer world by operating on the inner world which it manifests. The magician uses the power of Netzach to impose the forms of Hôd onto the substance of Yesôd. Tarot In the greater arcana of the tarot, Mercury is always associated with the first trump, the Magus or Juggler - names which sum up the extremes of the planet, sage and trickster. In the lesser arcana, Mercury (as the eighth cabbalistic sphere) rules the eights. The domiciles Gemini and Virgo explain why the air and earth suits are favourable: the Eight of Wands is called Swiftness, the Eight of Coins, Prudence. Because intellect opposes emotion - Venus is exalted in a detriment of Mercury - the Eight of Cups is unfavourable, and called Abandoned Success.

As Mercury has no affinity with fire, the Eight of Swords is also unfavourable: Shortened Force or Interference: reflection impeding action. David McCann, who lives in London, is an expert on the history and philosophy of astrology. His articles have been published in many international journals of astrology and he was a regular contributor to the Traditional Astrologer magazine, where this article first appeared. © David McCann, 1999 This article was first published in The Traditional Astrologer Magazine, issue 18, March 1999 Greek and Roman Gods Home | What's New | Contents | Ask | Store | University Greek and Roman Gods Here are the twelve Olympian gods and a brief description of each. The Greeks and Romans shared the same stories, but used different names. Greek Lord of the sky and supreme ruler of the gods. Known for throwing lightening bolts. Poseidon Ruler of the sea. Brother of Zeus. Carried a three-pronged spear known as a trident. Hades Pluto Ruler of the underworld and the dead. Brother of Zeus. Had a helmet which rendered its wearer invisible. Hestia Vesta A virgin goddess and sister of Zeus.

No distinct personality or part in myths. Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the home. Hera Juno Zeus's wife and sister. Protector of marriage, spent most of her time punishing the many women Zeus fell in love with. Likes cows and peacocks. Ares God of war and son of Zeus and Hera. Likes vultures and dogs. Athena Minerva Daughter of Zeus alone. No mother.(?) She sprang from his head full-grown and in full armor. The protector of civilized life, handicrafts, and agriculture. Invented the bridle, and first to tame the horse. Likes Athens, olives, and owls. Apollo Apollo Son of Zeus. Master musician, archer god, healer, god of light, god of truth, sun god. A busy god who likes the laurel tree, dolphins, and crows. Aphrodite Venus Daughter of Zeus. Goddess of Love and Beauty. Likes the myrtle tree, doves, sparrows, and swans. Hermes Mercury Hermograph Press: The Ancient God Mercury/Hermes Our Company's Patron Deity....

Hermes The Gods work in mysterious ways....but sometimes they just gotta get the message across pretty bluntly. So, in absence of some kind of Olympus Email, Facebook or Twitter, who are they gonna call but the chief messenger! In Greek mythology, that was Hermes. In later years, the Romans called that god Mercury. As a god, he was the swiftest--nobody could get there faster than Hermes. When the planets were given names related to the gods, back in the ancient days of Greek astronomy, the fastest planet was named for the winged one. BIOGRAPHY Hermes is the son of Zeus, chief of the gods, and Maia, goddess of clouds and one of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas. He was born in Arcadia, near the mountain Cyllene, and was washed by nymphs at the mountain Tricrena, also in Arcadia. While some babies enjoy rubber duckies, Hermes' holy-bird was Gallus, the cock or rooster (appropriate, a messenger of sorts). The ram (as in Aries) is also considered one of Hermes' favored pets.

A precocious youth, he stole a herd of cows from Apollo, a mere five minutes after he was born. From some of the cows' internal guts, er, fibers, young Hermes put together the lyre, a kind of handheld harp, upon which Apollo made the best music in the universe. On this basis, Hermes became the patron of tricksters and thieves, and was forgiven for his transgression by Apollo. For himself, Hermes made the shepherd-pipe, similar to the pipes used by his future son, Pan. No wife of Hermes has been clearly identified. He, apparently, was rather promiscuous, but then, so were all the rest of the Greek gods. Liaisons with the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, another offspring of Zeus, produced a daughter, Peitho, the personification of persuasion and seduction. They had at least two more daughters, Tyche and Eunomia, and a son, Hermaphroditus, an offspring having a great relationship with both his masculine and feminine sides. In some mythological stories, the two Olympians also were parents of Eros, though this is disputed. A liaison with Penelope produced a son, Pan.

This personage is, of course, well known as the pipe-playing god of shepherds, and if not as quick as Dad, was definitely a swift runner. As befits the patron of thieves, another son, Autolycus, the offspring of Chione and Hermes, became a great thief, and the grandfather of hero, Odysseus. Hermes later helps rescue his great-grandson (twice) from harm during the latter's 10-year, post-Trojan War "Odyssey." The Bacchus-like Silenus is sometimes claimed to be Hermes' son and Pan's brother; some legends say he is Pan's son. And there are many more sons and daughters, including some of the Argonauts. Hermes....was no hermit. RESIDENCES After changing heavenly citizenship (from Egyptian deity to Greek), his Egyptian center of worship became known as Hermopolis. In Rome he had a temple near the Circus Maximus, on Aventine Hill. It was the site of a trade fair. Mercury also had a well near the Porta Capena. Among the Celtics and Germans existed cults of Mercury worshippers.

CELEBRATIONS The principal holiday for the merchant god was Mercuralia, May 15th (Drat! Missed it!). As one of the five "moving stars" or "planets", Mercury's name is the origin of "Wednesday." In French, this is 'mercredi', coming from the Latin 'Mercurii dies', or Mercury's day. WORK HISTORY Hermes served as messenger for Zeus (though sometimes he job-shares with Iris, the goddess of the dawn) and as the some-time conductor of souls of the dead to Hades. He was also known as "the guide and giver of good." Mercury, As one of Jupiter's favorites, he was considered the most entertaining, the most shrewd and the most resourceful god. When Jupiter tired of Olympus, he chose Mercury to accompany him on forays to Earth, both disguised as mortals.

In his job as messenger, he wears a broad-rimmed traveler's hat--called a petasos or petasus-- and talaria, or winged sandals, made "of imperishable gold which bore him swift as a breath of air over sea and earth," and carries a caduceus or herald's staff around which serpents or ribbons may be found. The caduceus is said to be able to charm men's eyes to sleep. He also carries a purse (more like a money-bag actually....). The purse signifies his role as the Greek god of riches, trade and good fortune and the Roman god of trade, profit, merchants and travelers. He took over the latter job from the Dei Lucre, early Roman deities of commerce (from which, I suspect, comes the phrase "lucrative"). Hermes also changed his name to Mercury at this time. Among his personal favorite commercial activities was the corn trade. Mercury's relationship to business and speed survive in words like "mercurial and mercantile." Because of his speed he is sometimes considered a god of the winds. To the Babylonians he was viewed as the bearer of riches.

To the astrologers of the Renaissance he was the bringer of misfortune. SYMBOL Mercury's `corporate logo' is often described as representing the messenger's caduceus or wand with two snakes curled around it. In some versions of the logo's origin it is said to be Mercury in his winged hat or petasos. TRADE NAMES To the Germans, he was Wodan. To the Greeks, he was also known as Alipes (the one with winged feet). To the pre-Roman Etruscans, he was Turms, guide of the deceased to the underworld, and messenger of the gods. To the Egyptians, he was known as messenger of the gods, Thoth. As such, he was the origin of the deity Hermes Trismegistus, or "Thrice-great Hermes." The three-part title comes from this version of Hermes being the Greek writer of astrological texts--responsible for occult arts including alchemy--the Egyptian god who invented hieroglyphics and calendar-keeping, and also a judge of the souls of the deceased. To the Sumerians, he was Gud, a god favoring welcome rains, agricultural fertility and harvest abundance.

To the and Assyrians, he was Nabu, the "herald." Instead of being the messenger of the gods, he was the heavenly secretary, keeping track of the words of the gods. This also made him the Assyrian god of knowledge and the recorder of fate for people for the next year. OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE Taught the Thriae, winged female spirits who live on Mount Parnassus, the art of prophesy. At Zeus' command, disguised himself as a goatherd, sang the 100-eyed Argus (guarding Zeus' ex-lover Io whom Zeus had changed to a cow so Hera wouldn't know about his extra-marital affair--got all that?) to sleep, killed him but failed to bring back Io. Taught the curious Pandora the art of persuasion. Music teacher to Amphion, a stepbrother via Zeus. Amphion later changed careers to engineering, building the walls of Thebes. Delivered Zeus' command to Hades to release Persephone so that the mourning earth could once again bear life. (Another legend says Hermes later, er, had a relationship with Persephone).

Mercury delivered Jupiter's command to Aeneas, the Trojan equivalent to Odysseus, to leave his new love, Dido, at Carthage and journey on (eventually to Italy where he founded the Roman Empire). Helped Perseus plan and slay Medusa, including giving him the sword needed to cut off Medusa's head, guiding him through the Hyperboreans' land where most travelers perish, and flying him personally to the land where the Gorgons slept. Helped the war god Ares escape from the chains in which Otus and Ephialtes, two Giants, had ensnared him. Brought the word of Zeus to Calypso to release Odysseus to let him return to his wife. Before that, he met his grandson at the home of Circe and gave him an herb allowing him to drink and eat anything she gave him without harm, thereby causing Circe to fall in love with Odysseus and to give him all the aid he and his men needed to continue home. Taught Horge, daughter of Zeus, goddess of seasons, and waitress of the sun-god.

Answered the prayer of the mother of Phrixius, a would-be human sacrifice, sending a ram with fleece of pure gold to carry him to safety. Gave an after-death encore at life to Protesilaus, the first Greek to land at, and die at, Troy. During his funeral, Hermes allowed him to attend, to comfort his grieving widow, but this wasn't really a comfort and she chose to kill herself when he went back down to Hades afterwards. Mercury brought the mortal Psyche (synonymous with Soul) to Mt. Olympus so she could marry Cupid. In one of the best known legends (related to us by Ovid), Mercury and Jupiter disguise themselves as beggars in the land of Phrygia. Only one house offered them hospitality and shelter, that of an elderly couple, Baucis and Philomen. For their kindness and as punishment to the country that had turned the gods away, the land was cleansed of the citizens by a flood, the hovel was turned into an ornate temple, and the couple into priests. When they died, the faithful pair died together, forming a linden and an oak tree, growing from a single trunk.

As Hermes Trismegistus he authored the Hermetic Books, an astonishing 36,525 volumes of magic and wisdom, and Egyptian history. You'd think with this kind of early sales bonanza, someone, somewhere would still have a copy, yet despite this huge number, no volumes are known to exist today..... Research for this page was gathered from: Edith Hamilton's classic "Mythology, Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes," Mentor Books, 1942 "Bullfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable", Mentor Books, 1962 Mercury (mythology) - Wikiquote Mercury (mythology) Quotes[ edit ] Hermes in Greek mythology , a deity ; herald and messenger of the gods ; gods of roads , commerce , invention , cunning , and theft ; patron of … and Mercury of Roman mythology , often identified with Hermes, who served also as messenger to the other gods and was god of commerce, travel and thievery. United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in: "Star of Life", Emergency Medical Care Symbol: Background, Specifications, and Criteria , U.S.

Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Enforcement and Emergency Services, 1995 Mercury is related with the mental faculties of the individual. Its primary role is to comprehend the intonations from Buddhic consciousness . It also operates to derive lessons from various mundane experiences. Mercury sharpens the intellect and energises the mind principle. Bepin Behari in: The Timing of Events , Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1 January 2002, P.41 Mercury is related to self-knowledge and Jupiter with philosophy , righteousness , and religious aspirations which are very different aspects of the Sun . Venus is the embodiment of happiness , an aspect of the Supreme. Saturn stands for the cause of destruction but then ultimate dissolution is also an aspect of the solar deity for its withdrawal of vital energy form the individual leads to dissolution or death . Bepin Behari in: “The Timing of Events”, Page xxiii ...is worship was introduced early, and his temple on the Aventine Hill in Rome was dedicated in 495 BC. There he was associated with the goddess Maia , who became identified as his mother through her association with the Greek Maia, mother of Hermes...

-The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica . ...I am the spirit of metals , the fire which does not burn, the water which does not wet the hands. If you find the way to slay me you will find the philosophical mercury of the wise, even the White Stone beloved of the Philosophers . If you find the way to raise me up again, you will find the philosophical sulphur , that is, the Red Stone and Elixir of Life . Obey me and I will be your servant ; free me and I will be your friend . Enslave me and I am a dangerous enemy ; command me and I will make you mad ; give me life and you will die . - Patrick Harpur . Mercury in his role as messenger - The Romans believed that gods and goddesses were in charge of everything on Earth . Mercury is named after the messenger for their gods. The Roman Mercury had wings on his helmet and shoes. He could travel very quickly from place to place. The planet Mercury moves quickly around the sun . That is how it got its name.

But it is a very remarkable circumstance, that an acquaintance with the seven days of the week , so familiar from remote antiquity to the people who originally spoke Sanskrit language , though unknown to the Greeks and Romans, should have been preserved among the Germans... - Vans Kennedy . Mercury, Latin Mercurius, in Roman religion , god of merchandise and merchants , commonly identified with the Greek Hermes , fleet-footed messenger of the gods. His worship was introduced early, and his temple on the Aventine Hill in Rome was dedicated in 495 BC. There he was associated with the goddess Maia , who became identified as his mother through her association with the Greek Maia, mother of Hermes. Both Mercury and Maia were honoured in a festival on May 15, the dedication day of Mercury’s temple on the Aventine. Mercury is sometimes represented as holding a purse , symbolic of his business functions.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica in: MercuryAlternate title: Mercurius , Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 March 2014 In Vishnu Purana , in the final dissolution Vishnu assumes the form of Rudra , the destructive persona of Shiva , and proceed to set the world ablaze. The seven main rays of the Sun which are mentioned in this myth are, according to Hindu Astronomy in this myth the most important among its thousands. These seven are all identified by name and supply heat and light to the moon , stars and the planets Mercury, Venus , Mars , Jupiter and Saturn . The blaze is followed by a flood and then a period of quiescence and regeneration . A. L. Dallapiccola in: Hindu Myths , University of Texas Press, 2003, p. 52 My Seal-Ring Freely offers thee the soul : Art thou noble to receive? Canst thou give or take the whole , Then thou wholly human art , A spotless, radiant, ruby heart , And the golden chain of love Margaret Fuller in: Julia Ward Howe Margaret Fuller, marchesa Ossoli , 1883, p.

228 Know this: I, Mercurius , have here set down a full, true and infallible account of the Great Work. But I give you fair warning that unless you seek the true philosophical gold and not the gold of the vulgar , unless you heart is fixed with unbending intent on the true Stone of the Philosophers , unless you are steadfast in your quest, abiding by God ’s laws in all faith and humility and eschewing all vanity , conceit , falsehood, intemperance , pride , lust and faint-heartedness, read no farther lest I prove fatal to you. For I am the watery venomous serpent who lies buried at the earth ’s centre; I am the fiery dragon who flies through the air . I am the one thing necessary for the whole Opus . I am the spirit of metals , the fire which does not burn, the water which does not wet the hands. If you find the way to slay me you will find the philosophical mercury of the wise, even the White Stone beloved of the Philosophers . If you find the way to raise me up again, you will find the philosophical sulphur , that is, the Red Stone and Elixir of Life .

Obey me and I will be your servant ; free me and I will be your friend . Enslave me and I am a dangerous enemy ; command me and I will make you mad ; give me life and you will die . Jamieson in: Francis Edward Jackson Valpy An Etymological Dictionary of the Latin Language , Baldwin and Company, 1828, p. 259 But it is a very remarkable circumstance, that an acquaintance with the seven days of the week , so familiar from remote antiquity to the people who originally spoke Sanskrit language , though unknown to the Greeks and Romans, should have been preserved among the Germans. It is true, indeed, that among them the days received their names from their principal deities , and not merely from the planets , which, in Hindu mythology , are considered only as celestial beings of an inferior description. There seems, also, to be no doubt that Germans selected the names of the same planets to designate the days of the week, which have been immemorially used for the same purpose by the Hindus ; and that, in both Germany and India , their consecutive order was the day of the Sun , the Moon , Mars , Mercury , Jupiter , Venus and Saturn .

Vans Kennedy in: Researches Into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu Mythology by Vans Kennedy , Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, 1831, p. 396-97 And while he was Euphorbus , he used to say that he [Pythagoras] had formerly been Aethalides , and that he had received as a gift from Mercury the perpetual transmigration of his soul, so that it was constantly transmigrating and passing into whatever plants or animals it pleased. Diogenes Laërtius in: D. Nickerson The origin of thought , K. Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1901, p. 333 And when we say also that the Word, who is the first-birth of God , was produced without sexual union, and that He, Jesus Christ , our Teacher , was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven , we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter .

For you know how many sons your esteemed writers ascribed to Jupiter: Mercury, the interpreting word and teacher of all; Aesculapius , who, though he was a great physician , was struck by a thunderbolt , and so ascended to heaven; and Bacchus too, after he had been torn limb from limb; and Hercules , when he had committed himself to the flames to escape his toils; and the sons of Leda , and Dioscuri ; and Perseus , son of Danae ; and Bellerophon , who, though sprung from mortals, rose to heaven on the horse Pegasus . For what shall I say of Ariadne , and those who, like her, have been declared to be set among the stars ? And what of the emperors who die among yourselves, whom you deem worthy of deification , and in whose behalf you produce some one who swears he has seen the burning Caesar rise to heaven from the funeral pyre ? And what kind of deeds are recorded of each of these reputed sons of Jupiter, it is needless to tell to those who already know.

This only shall be said, that they are written for the advantage and encouragement of youthful scholars; for all reckon it an honourable thing to imitate the gods. But far be such a thought concerning the gods from every well-conditioned soul , as to believe that Jupiter himself, the governor and creator of all things, was both a parricide and the son of a parricide, and that being overcome by the love of base and shameful pleasures , he came in to Ganymede and those many women whom he had violated and that his sons did like actions. But, as we said above, wicked devils perpetrated these things. And we have learned that those only are deified who have lived near to God in holiness and virtue ; and we believe that those who live wickedly and do not repent are punished in everlasting fire. Justin Martyr in: the Apostolic fathers uoted in: Chapter XXI.—Analogies to the history of Christ. ,ccel.org Mercury was the son of Jupiter ( king of the gods ), the result of an illicit union with Maia , goddess of the clouds (as well as one of the Pleiades ).

His many adventures and his assignment as guide of the dead to Hades , made him the patron god of travellers. But his tricks also made him patron of thieves . The Romans also made him god of merchants and he lent his name to " mercantilism ". Wednesday was his day of the week. This day the Romans called "Mercurii dies", which survives in the names for that day in many of the Romance languages , such as the Spanish , "miércoles". We also find Mercury lending his fame, in a " mercurial " manner, to a number of other objects... Messenger In: Mercury - the Messenger God , InDepthInfo The Romans believed that gods and goddesses were in charge of everything on Earth . Mercury is named after the messenger for their gods. The Roman Mercury had wings on his helmet and shoes. He could travel very quickly from place to place. The planet Mercury moves quickly around the sun . That is how it got its name. NASA in: What Is the Planet Mercury? , NASA, 30 March 2011 ....Mercury was connected with the deity Woodan , or Odin among the northern seafarers.

In Italy ancient people called Mercury Boudha, a word with the same origin as Woodan or Odin. The connection lives on in our current use of English day of week Wednesday derived from Woodan’s day . - Robert G. Strom There is ample linguistic evidence that some of the first people to observe Mercury and commit the planet to the immortality of myth were Germanic people and Scandinavians who navigated far south from their native lands into what is now the Mediterranean and the coasts of Africa . Mercury was connected with the deity Woodan , or Odin among the northern seafarers. In Italy ancient people called Mercury Boudha, a word with the same origin as Woodan or Odin. The connection lives on in our current use of English day of week Wednesday derived from Woodan’s day . Robert G. Strom, Ann L. Sprague in: Exploring Mercury: The Iron Planet , Springer Science & Business Media, Jul 15, 2003, p. 2 The astronomical symbol of Mercury [☿] can be traced to a medieval Greek manuscript where it takes the form ?. The horizontal cross is a modern addition.

The "horns" at the top of the symbol represent the wings of this speedy planet It is from the use of the name Hermes for Mercury that the usage of Hermean for characteristics of Mercury became popular during the 19th century and continues to be used by some today. Robert G. Strom, Ann L. Sprague in: "Exploring Mercury: The Iron Planet", p. 3 Hermes is the god of the unexpected, of luck , of coincidence , of ' synchronicity .' The ancient Greeks would say: 'Hermes has entered our midst,' whenever a sudden silence had entered the room, descended on conversation and introduced into the meeting another dimension. Whenever things seem fixed, rigid, 'stuck,' Hermes introduces fluidity , motion , new beginnings - as well as the confusion which inevitably precedes new beginnings. Gisela Labouvie-Vief in: Psyche and Eros: Mind and Gender in the Life Course , Cambridge University Press, 26 August 1994, p. 257 As Hermes Psychopompos , he also serves as a guide of souls into the underworld .

Under his Roman name of Mercury, Hermes is the prime god of the alchemists who hoped to transform base matter into refined, spiritual gold. Mercury is “ quick silver ”, the spirit that existed in matter . - Gisela Labouvie-Vief As Hermes Psychopompos , he also serves as a guide of souls into the underworld . Under his Roman name of Mercury, Hermes is the prime god of the alchemists who hoped to transform base matter into refined, spiritual gold. Mercury is “ quick silver ”, the spirit that existed in matter . Gisela Labouvie-Vief In: "Psyche and Eros: Mind and Gender in the Life Course", P.258 Roman version of the Greek god Hermes , Mercury played a particular role among the medieval alchemists who hoped to transform mercury to gold . Gisela Labouvie-Vief in: :Psyche and Eros: Mind and Gender in the Life Course", P.276 Mercurial is relating to, or born under the planet Mercury. It is having qualities of eloquence , ingenuity , or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury or to the influence of the planet Mercury.

It is characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood [a mercurial temper] of, relating to, containing, or caused by Mercury.

Question: In mythology who was the Greek equivalent of Mercury?
Answer: Hermes